Private landlords told to speed up their response to cladding issues on high rise blocks

Private landlords of residential blocks have been told to speed up their response to remediation work as combustible materials in cladding systems are set to be banned in the UK.

The Hackitt review into building regulation and fire safety in the aftermath of the fire in the Grenfell tower block that killed 71 people, called for major reform but not the banning of the material which is thought to have played a role in the spread of the fire.

However, the Government has now launched a consultation on the banning of combustible material to make sure that people living in tower blocks are safe along with other measures.

Secretary of State for Housing James Brokenshire said that the Government will lead the reform of the building regulatory system and there will be strong sanctions for those who fail to adhere to them.

He also hit out at private landlords whom he claimed have been ‘slow’ to sort out cladding issues. Brokenshire has written to all local housing authorities to pay particular attention to cladding related issues when reviewing housing in their areas.

‘Remediation work has started on two thirds of buildings in the social housing sector and we have called on building owners in the private sector to follow the example set by the social sector and not pass costs on to leaseholders,’ said Brokenshire.

But he hit out at private landlords. ‘I find it outrageous that some private sector landlords have been so slow to cooperate with us on this vital work. I am calling on them to do the right thing. If they don’t, I am ruling nothing out at this stage,’ he added.

As well as a ban on combustible material in cladding, the consultation will consider means by which there can be a better mechanism for blowing the whistle on landlords who do not maintain safe buildings and restricting or banning the use of ‘desktop studies’ as a way of assessing the fire performance of external cladding systems.

The aim is to change the law to achieve meaningful and lasting reform of the building regulatory system and the consultation is seeking views on how the Government could implement major reform of the regulatory system.

‘The cladding believed to be on Grenfell Tower was unlawful under existing building regulations. It should not have been used. But I will ensure that there is no room for doubt over what materials can be used safely as cladding in high rise residential buildings,’ said Brokenshire.

‘I welcome Dame Judith Hackitt’s comprehensive report and her calls for fundamental reform in the building sector. I am committed to making that happen as quickly as possible. We must ensure the tragedy at Grenfell brings change and I call on the industry to work with me to achieve the urgent reform needed,’ he added.

There are also calls for other safety measures to be mandatory, such as sprinkler systems, and that the reforms cover other types of buildings such as large houses converted into flats.
‘We shouldn’t ignore issues with fire safety, whether the building is above or below 18 metres. We would like the Government to further clarify responsibility and enforcement of fire safety within these types of buildings,’ said Tamara Sandoul, housing policy manager at the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH).

‘Considering the breadth of this report, we now call on the Government to set up the Joint Competent Authority as a priority so it can look in detail at vital issues such as cladding, sprinklers, and fire escapes,’ she added.

In the wake of the Grenfell Tower disaster, the London Assembly Planning Committee released a report into fire safety calling for sprinklers to be mandatory in all new buildings above 18 metres.

The report’s author Navin Shah said it was disappointing that sprinklers or other similar systems are not set to be made mandatory in all buildings above 18 metres. ‘It’s deeply concerning that the Government continues to overlook the seriousness of this issue. The appalling tragedy of Grenfell must never happen again. This is a dangerous missed opportunity to ensure people can feel safe in their homes and I would urge a rapid rethink,’ said Shah.